Merced County reacts to Roe v. Wade controversy. Here’s what both sides are saying
A spectrum of emotions ranging from rage to joy rippled throughout Merced County on Friday as community members absorbed news of the Supreme Court’s reversal of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, thus overturning the constitutional right to abortion.
Pro-choice and pro-life advocates alike collectively held their breath in anticipation of a final ruling since a draft of the court’s opinion was leaked in May.
The court’s 5-4 decision to stick with the draft opinion came as a surprise to few, but that didn’t buffer the passionate reactions felt by residents throughout Merced County and beyond.
Merced City Council member Bertha Perez told the Sun-Star she was struck with anger and sadness when the court’s decision was announced this morning.
“I think I’m pissed off,” Perez said. “Today we lost a freedom, and that should make America sad.”
Perez recalled being a teen mother herself and choosing not to have an abortion, but enjoying the privilege of having that choice. She voiced concerns for those who find themselves in a similar position after Friday’s ruling.
“America is about freedom and choices. When we start removing choices, we’re impacting our freedoms. I don’t stand with anyone who’s taking away our freedom from America,” she said.
Perez encouraged those like herself who are angered by the court’s decision to organize and vote for public servants whose views align with society’s. “Women are not second class citizens, but we’re being told to do with our bodies,” she said.
Even though abortion remains protected in California, Merced Pride Center Executive Director Jennifer McQueen said she fears how abortion no longer being constitutionally protected could effect feelings of shame around receiving abortions and empower anti-abortion groups to be more outspoken.
“I watch folks in the LGBTQ+ community not seek needed medical care because of fear of stigma and judgment and traumatic experiences,” she said.
Elsewhere in Merced County though, other residents were celebrating the court’s historic ruling as a long-time wrong being rectified.
“Joy for the babies and their mothers who will be saved from abortion! Thankfulness for all who have worked and prayed over the past 49 years for this day,” said United for Life of Merced County Treasurer Doris Avilla in a statement to the Sun-Star.
United for Life of Merced County is a pro-life nonprofit. As California leaders have put in motion a number of protections for abortion, the nonprofit will continue to advocate against abortion.
“We must continue to educate about the resources available to help pregnant women and those who are suffering from past abortions,” the statement said. “We will continue to pray for those who are so filled with anger right now in hopes they will come to realize you really do not help a poor woman or any woman by killing her unborn child.”
Bishop Joseph V. Brennan, leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno, also issued a statement to clergy throughout central California hailing the court’s decision. “Today, I not only encourage you to celebrate …, I also encourage you to pray for compassion, understanding and strength as the fight for life will continue in our state of California,” Brennan wrote.
Atwater Mayor Paul Creighton said in a message to the Sun-Star that he has witnessed intense reactions from Friday’s announcement play out on both sides of the debate.
“As Mayor of Atwater, California, I see wild reactions from both sides of the Supreme Court ruling and offer this advice: for the great majority of us absolutely nothing will change in our day to day life,” Creighton said.
“And for the few who will face whatever challenge they will encounter regarding this Supreme Court ruling, on either side of their own personal position they take, I offer my prayers and support,” he added.
Livingston Mayor Juan Aguilar was in mass around the time the court’s decision was announced this morning. He acknowledged that many factors including faith, culture and upbringing can influence one’s opinion about abortion, but he said he believes it should ultimately come down to an individual’s rights and freedom to choose.
“Ultimately, (abortion) really has to do with the individuals, the woman and her body, to choose to be pro life or not,” Aguilar said. “People went through a lot of fighting for it, and now it’s been overturned.”
The mayor said he senses that the fight for abortion rights is far from over. He also encouraged his community to organize, communicate with each other, express their voices and vote if they disagree with the decisions made by their elected officials.
California leaders vow to protect abortion
Rep. Jim Costa, D-Merced, also said in a statement following the court’s decision that the fight for the right to choose is far from over.
“This ruling strips women of their freedom to make their own decisions and the constitutional right to privacy,” Costa said in the release.
“California has codified reproductive rights into law, it’s long overdue for the rest of the country to do the same,” he added. “I will not stop fighting for woman to have the right to make their own decisions. Our fight is not over.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders have worked since the court’s draft opinion leaked to position the state as a place where access to abortion services will not only remain available, but expand to serve more women from states that move to impose strict limits on the procedure to end pregnancies.
The governors of California, Oregon and Washington issued a multi-state commitment Friday, pledging to defend reproductive healthcare access and serve as a safe haven for those seeking abortions.
“This is not the America we know – and it’s not the California way,” Newsom said in a news release Friday. “We will not sit on the sidelines and allow patients who seek reproductive care in our states or the doctors that provide that care to be intimidated with criminal prosecution.”
Newsom has also proposed a $125 million reproductive health package to expand access for women and help prepare for the influx of women seeking reproductive health care from other states. The California Legislature has also introduced a constitutional amendment to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution.
Newsom recently signed legislation eliminating copays for abortion care services and has signed into law a legislative package to further strengthen access and protect patients and providers. Additional proposals are being considered with the Legislature as well.
Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit health care provider that is among the nation’s abortion clinics, has also been positioning itself for a post Roe v. Wade world even before the leaked draft opinion, as far back as when former president Donald Trump was elected.
‘We’re outraged, but also mobilized as we are every day to provide care,” said Cheri Greven, senior director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte said.
Planned Parenthood Mar Monte operates health clinics in Fresno, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties as well as throughout northern California. The Merced location offers the abortion pill. Those patients who wish to have a procedure are referred to other locations.
Although it often serves as a lightening rod for pro-choice activists, often garnering anti-aboriton protesters outside its walls, Greven said the nonprofit receives overwhelming support from the Central Valley. According to a poll last month, 70% of Valley voters support protecting abortion access in the state constitution, she said.
The nonprofit has been busy building up its capacity to take in an influx of patients from states where abortion isn’t protected, without impacting the level of care or creating long waits for Californians, Greven said.
Twenty-two states are ready to ban or severely limit abortion access now that Roe v. Wade is overturned, according to research from the Guttmacher Institute. Other states are likely to enact new restrictions, too.
Planned Parenthood has also been bolstering its number of abortion providers, contracting with additional outside providers and strategically building out capacity at centers near transportation hubs.
The court’s decision Friday won’t impact abortion appointments in California, Greven emphasized. “For patients in California, they should know their care and their right to abortion is protected.”
Greven said she hopes the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives and the president eventually pass federal legislation to safeguard abortion access for everyone, no matter what zip code they live in. However, she said she doesn’t feel optimistic that will occur in the near future.
Dr. Morgan Theis, a local family medicine physician, said Friday’s news sank heavy in her heart.
Theis supervises three Planned Parenthood clinics, including the Merced location. She said she spent much of Friday imagining distressing conversations she would be forced to have with patients if abortions weren’t protected in California.
“Will I have to be the one to tell a family member that their loved one died due to a complication that could have been prevented through abortion?” she said. “I’m grappling with what it means to have bodily autonomy taken away from my patients.”
Theis recalled a prior patient who intentionally became pregnant to start a family, but soon discovered she had leukemia and couldn’t be treated until she was no longer pregnant.
Delaying that patient’s leukemia treatment on account of abortion being illegal could have been catastrophic for her health. “As a doctor, that feels unethical to me,” Theis said.
Californians angry about Friday’s news can contact senators representing states where abortion isn’t protected, Greven said. Planned Parenthood also encourages the public to vote, donate and disrupt by organizing and sharing personal stories about abortion.
While Friday’s court decision has fanned the flames of an already hot national debate, Merced Mayor Matt Serratto also said California leaders’ moves to protect abortion will have more direct impact on the City of Merced than the court’s rule.
“I think you can say with confidence we have a legislature and governor that are very supportive (of abortion),” Serratto said. “Ironically, if anything, here in the short term it could expand access to abortion in the state.”
This story was originally published June 24, 2022 at 3:24 PM.
